Everyday Magic
by SurprisedbyJoy
Summary: One shots of H&S wandering through the early stages of life after the curse, figuring out different forms of magic, having friendly arguments, discovering and loving and running away from or towards new problems. Fluffy, at some points! HxS
1. Chapter 1

**Everyday Magic **by SurprisedbyJoy

\- Thanks for reading! These are just little one shots I write to myself... after being randomly inspired by whatever I run across day-to-day. I love HMC and Diana Wynne Jones, so this is all bookverse and fluff and probably fodder for future, more concrete stories. Apologies for any grammatical/other types of errors, this hasn't been beta-ed. I don't own anything contained herein, not Howl nor Sophie nor the worlds! Inspiration taken from my life &amp; travels in Wales and Ireland. -

"The thing is, my curiosity about magic really being a possibility, not just my silly childhood fairytales, began when I realised it had the potential to be real in my world in small, mundane ways."

Sophie crunched another leaf under the heel of her boot as they approached the stile ahead of them. "Mundane magic?"

"Mm, like... it's hard to explain, since you're so accustomed to extraordinary magic. I guess I began to see it as the 'lucky'... that's not the right word... an occurrence of things... some people have some mysterious quality about them that draws animals to them more than others. Or others have perfect timing-I had a friend who could always accurately guess the time without seeing a clock, who usually made a lucky guess down to the minute. Other times it's just... the small surprises, joys in life. Hard to explain, till you look for it or experience it."

"Someone who naturally knows when a cake or pie is ready. Or senses when something's in the garden. Or can enthrall people with a story. Turn rubbish into treasures."

"I knew you'd get it!" said Howl, jumping down the other side of the turnstile, into the soft dirt. He turned and offered a hand, unnecessary to Sophie but still appreciated. She smiled as she took it. Howl continued, caught up this one thought. "You see, that was what my postgrad studies were all about. Commonplace magic. There's a whole paper with official terminology, but that's useless when it comes down to people relating to it. I tried explaining it to Michael, but it flew over his head like those geese."

"Did you try it with Suliman?" Sophie asked, watching said geese fly over the horizon in their triangle formation.

"Oh, he understands it better than a commoner off the streets of Ingary, but he's so careful and exact and doesn't quite get the whole random chance thing. It's more of an interesting theory rather than a likely possibility or fact of life to him."

Sophie thought about the university and the careful study of magic of which Howl spoke. As she gripped his hand, she imagined a gangly rugby player with skinned knees spending an afternoon watching a spider spin a web. She saw the same boy sitting on a bench, eyes attuned to the quirks of the passerby. The handsome, fresh face filled with concentration as his fingers flew faster and faster, churning out words about the new world he had only partially uncovered.

A tug on her hand brought Sophie back, and she stopped as Howl did. "What are you thinking so intently about, Mrs. Head-in-the-clouds?"

To her surprise, Sophie coloured slightly. "Oh, I... the university you talk about. And what you studied there. How you uncovered my-our-world."

"We'll go there soon-but, would you like to read one of the papers? I'm fairly certain I've got it in a box at Megan's, if she hasn't burned the lot already. It might not be terribly thrilling reading for you-"

"I want to read it. I never quite finished school... but I still want to learn, maybe catch up a bit." She paused. "And, I suppose, to find out what you were like before you were heartless Howl, to see what theories you had about my world."

Howl laughed, but looked pleasantly surprised. "Watch out, you're practically flattering me now, and I thought that was a practice you despised." Sophie snorted. Howl waved a hand. "No, no, I'm genuinely pleased, it's not the kind of thing I'd ever easily share with someone else."

Sophie nodded. Howl let go of her hand as they paused again, closer to the river. The air had that irresistibly energizing scent of fall, decay and fire and chill in a strange but appealing combination. He tested the ground with one hand, making sure it wasn't going to soak what Sophie considered to be already not-worth-saving clothes. The woman didn't and wouldn't ever understand the importance of a good denim pair of jeans, he thought, but boy did she understand magic.

He sat down, reaching back for Sophie and tugging her down as well. The wide river in front of them, carrying orange leaves, was the only noise in the otherwise desolate landscape. It wound through the mountains and down through the plain they had walked through as though it was a living thing; its water not only a life source, but a form of life and strength itself as it eroded and cleansed. Sophie pondered the rocks that weathered life in the stream, and lost herself in the thought until she felt Howl's arm around her waist, drawing her back to reality. She leaned her head on the his shoulder, breathing in the soft wool and his warm skin. Sometimes there was magic in the simple circumstances of life. Magic that had no mystery to it, but whose currents ran instead with simplicity and warmth.


	2. The Rocky Road to University

(thanks for reading, guys! I intended this to just be short stories but it may turn into something longer. This is rather an interlude, because I need more time to work out the plot with the university and tie stuff together... I mean, it does move it along, just slower than I intended. So enjoy, and I apologise for the delay, I'm writing more these days! Cheers!)

"Damn!" whispered Howl, squeezing the papercut finger and continuing to absentmindedly shuffle through the rest of the papers with the other fingers. He was, of course, talking to himself as he stood in the dim light of the garage in the back garden of Megan's house. There was no one to hear the exclamation, as Sophie arrived just as Howl had found the important blue file folder and was flipping through it with apparent disregard for the small droplets of blood collecting on the cover.

"What're you looking for?"

"The paper we were talking about yesterday. You know, one of the ones talking about everyday magic. Before I discovered the theories to get to your world. I think it's in here…" Howl trailed off, flipping back a few pages. Sophie observed the faint sunlight through the small window, which backlit the dust motes and seemed to give them a magic of their own. "You know, I see a sun ray outside."

"Mmm."

"Howl?"

"Hold on, I've…" Howl got lost in this thought, thoroughly reading the paper he held up towards the light shaft.

"Yes, it's sunny. How would you like to take a trip to a place with old buildings and greens and secluded rivers? Old buildings full of time? Greens full of picture perfect people? Secluded rivers which wind down avenues of metaphoric memories?" Howl asked in a jokingly overdramatic tone, flinging an arm into the air.

"Sounds like going back to Ingary."

It wasn't Ingary, but the differences made it all the more interesting to Sophie. The Ingrarian sounding place turned out to be a university campus, and Howl had it in mind to enjoy a relaxing day outdoors, exploring and posing as grad students-although Sophie could get away with being an undergraduate, he thought-and then, find a specific professor, specific book in the library, and specific stone statue.

They came to a rapid stop in front of the convenience store of a petrol station that was in the countryside. Sophie, who had just had an earful from her husband on how this was "a great deal less busy than any _real _petrol station in a normal town" and "you have no idea how busy these things normally are. We're so lucky", it still seemed a mind boggling and frantic place. The three other cars were taking turns zipping around the parking lot, people getting in and out, people attaching some odd sort of long leash to the car and standing there watching it for a specific amount of time until they apparently felt like removing said leash.

"I'll show you how," said Howl as he downshifted and pulled up next to one of the tall boxes that held the leashes. In a few fast motions, which Sophie had no time to process, he was touching some sort of lever, springing out of the vehicle, and reaching a hand into a hole in the side of the car.

"See, there's oil in here. Well, in the ground, but this is the pump, and it gets it into the car so the car can run on it."

Except for the confusing looking machine and the beeping noises, as well as the mystery of _how_, Sophie felt surprised that this didn't feel too far beyond her grasp. She nodded attentively. Until they were back in the car, her clutching a handle and the edge of the faded seat, and Howl was explaining something about the handle between them that he kept pulling back and forth every time they stopped or went.  
Sophie began formulating daydreams again, unconsciously, as Howl continued. Her mind kept in filling wide gaps of knowledge that she didn't have-what was Howl like in primary school? Secondary? Where did he and Megan live? She dreamed up a small brick house on the corner. Kids, shouting and kicking a round ball down the street, became animated in her head, and the picture switched to a living room scene, then Howl reaching his hand through an open space that was dark and mysterious.

"... right?" Howl finished, looking briefly over at Sophie, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh… of course!" Sophie went for the affirmative here, since the wizard looked expectant.

"I just asked you if you were a nosy, bossy, appallingly clean _young _lady to see if you were listening, and you agreed with me." This was delivered with a note of triumph.

Sophie huffed and frowned. "Well, I can't very well be expected to listen if you talk about these MACHINES, since anything in your world is _way _beyond me."

"You wanted to know! You keep asking me questions! And the second I grace your ears with a lovely answer, you think about-oh, I don't know, the weather! Or all the _wonderful _things you left behind in oh-so-perfect Ingary!"

They came to a halt in the conversation. The car sped on by sheep pastures, as if nothing had happened. Sophie had her arms crossed, and was staring out the window. Howl shifted uncomfortably, wondering what she was thinking about, too afraid to say anything else in fear that it would be akin to starting a flood that would never stop. A mountain range came into view, and the car passed into dense tree cover, as Howl pondered this.

"I'm sorry, Howl."

"Sorry?! Sorry? I should be… sorry. I mean, don't apologise to me!" Howl said, caught off guard. He was a nanosecond away from opening his mouth and say the same thing-fool, he thought. You big fool. What a coward. "Er," he continued, softening his tone, "I shouldn't have said that. Actually, I'm sorry for boring you. I…" he trailed off.

Sophie stiffly unfolded her arms, still tense. "It's… I'm sorry too. It takes two to have an argument, doesn't it? I'm sorry for not listening to you. I shouldn't have drifted off."

"Drifted off? I can't blame you… I'm sure it was more interesting than the mechanics of my world."

"I was actually thinking about your world."

"What about?"

"Well, I guess trying to imagine what it was like living here." Sophie felt a little embarrassed, thinking of all the questions she wanted to ask but not wanting to pry. Learning to let another person into your life was really hard; hard to give up that privacy and slowly learn that they would know all about you. She decided she wouldn't push it.

"We're nearly to the university," Howl said, nodding at the road, which had taken them into more urban areas. Sophie could see a small city in the distance. "I expect you'll have a lot of answers then."

"Let's not be mad at each other then."

"Let's not," Howl replied, his fingers brushing hers and then settling near her knee.


	3. Tangled in Wales

Hey here's an update! Trying to piece together some unfinished ideas. Another one-shot, but I have a separate piece in the works that's a series. Coming soon. Enjoy this. It's by far my favourite in this whole one-shot series, probably because I took more time on it... heh. Cheers!

"I mean," Sophie continued, watching Howl prod his eyebrow in the mirror, "Wouldn't Mari just _love _an outing to the theatre?"

"I don't know that she's actually ever been to a play," Howl said thoughtfully, still considering the eyebrow.

"Never?!"

"It's not exactly as common around here… you know I told you about the moving picture we'd go see, right?"

"Oh, yes… so she likes those instead?" Sophie thought it the silliest thing that a child would be more entertained by fake pictures rather than real people singing and dancing, but then, Wales was slightly stranger. She splashed her face and then turned off the sink.

"Well, I don't think she's had the chance to be introduced to theatre properly… you know, you could take her shopping… as long as I tell you where to go… and we'll give her a grand night out as the highlight of her week?" Howl loosened the sleeves of his shirt and turned to open the bathroom door, gesturing Sophie out in front of him-with no apparent purpose, for instead he changed his mind and transported them directly onto the bed, where Sophie stumbled over a pillow in temporary surprise.

"Oh, that would be so perfect!" Sophie became almost giddy with joy. Howl felt quite pleased with himself for touching upon such an idea, especially as he'd been annoying the past few days and was still being enough of a prick that he hadn't yet apologised.

Sophie was talking about when she'd gone to the Royal Theatre in Ingary a few times as a child as Howl turned out the light. "... and then, we'd have one fancy dinner, well, fancy for us… and there were the stars that seemed so much brighter after you'd just come out from seeing a particularly good show… and the time we took a carriage ride to the hotel at night just because we could."

Howl's appreciation for grandeur and spectacle overtook him and he felt himself quite awake and interested. He folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the dark, mostly spiderless ceiling.

"What would Mari like?" asked Sophie, pulling a bit of quilt from him.

"Oh, I don't know… I'd have to see what was playing. She does seem to have a great love for princesses and fairy stories, so I don't think we'd go wrong with that… remember I said I'd show you a moving picture, speaking of which?"

"Mmm," said Sophie, still thinking of the previous subject.

"Well, she would be over the moon if we took her to see one when we get there next week, since it's just in their town. It's called Tangled, she was exclaiming over an advert today while I was talking to Megan."  
"What's it about?"

"Rapunzel… you know, she's locked up in a tower, but this time it appears as if this non-royal rogue thief happens upon her, and together they go in search of these magic lanterns…"

Mari was a ball of energy and giggles when Howl and Sophie arrived, and it only escalated when, after Megan had finally left, they revealed to her that they were taking her to the cinema. She ran back and forth from her room, carrying out different pairs of shoes for Sophie to look at, a poster of the movie, a hairbrush. Sophie finally slowed her down by braiding her hair, and then Mari was off again into her room, searching for something else.

Sophie watched Howl from the door of the guest room, as he tapped lightly on the windowsill, a concentrated look on his face. "Checking for mice?"

"You really do appear at the most inopportune times!"

Sophie tapped a foot, and Howl resumed tapping the sill. Finally, he continued, "I'm just checking the magical reinforcements. And before you exclaim, whatever are they doing in the windowsill, my dear husband! let me tell you that this window has a connection with our moving castle window."  
"But our window doesn't look into this window…"

"No-it's hard to explain, but, if we're going to have a connection to this world there, there needs to be a similarly functioning object here in Wales for us to tie our object to. Thus, the window, and thus, like this one, it looks out on the garden." Howl straightened up, picked up his jacket, and turned towards Sophie, who nodded.

"Oh!" Sophie exclaimed, "We'd probably better go, hadn't we? At least we could get Mari out before she tears down the house in excitement."

Howl heard another shoe being thrown and nodded in agreement. "I'll go tell her."

Sophie looked around the room and, on impulse, threw open the wardrobe. It was empty save for a few blankets. She looked down at her simple jumper-and the strange blue things Howl insisted were suitable "trousers"-and willed them to transform into something else, since after all it was unseasonably warm outside. They didn't budge. Sophie paused, hesistated, hemming and hawing to herself.

"Howl?" she called down the hall.

"Yes?" came his voice from Mari's room.

"Can you spare a moment?"  
"Go on, use the toilet first or you'll miss half the movie!" Howl exclaimed to Mari, giving her a push as he came down the hallway. He stopped in the doorway and bowed teasingly.

"You rang?"

Sophie smoothed down the strange blue garment. "I was wondering if… there were other clothing options?"

Howl laughed and felt around in his pocket, bringing out a small key. "I thought you'd never ask!" he said mockingly. "Sure. What will it be?"

"Well, I was thinking something… oh, I don't know, lighter? A dress? Florals?"

The wizard raised a finger. "Ah! I have the perfect idea!" and he flipped the little key over in his hand. Sophie felt soft cotton under her fingers and was happy to discover a (short, by her standards! she harumphed to herself) green and yellow floral dress with a loose, draped skirt and a cardigan overtop. And the shoes-heels, but wedges, so she could easily walk. "Oh!" she said. "What a handy charm."

"Beautiful," Howl said, arms folded, smiling at her. "You know what I just realised? If we lived in Wales, this would have been the sort of thing I'd taken you to on a first date! And, to boot, it's our first movie date ever." He waved the key again. "I better look the part as well."

Sophie found herself smiling like a fool, without immediately realising it, and ran a hand over her hair. He _did _look quite fine, and that was saying something for the strange Welsh fashion. The crisp shirt with its unbuttoned collar and rolled sleeves was classic, in an Ingarian way, but not too odd.

"Mari!" Howl said, as Sophie took a glance at her hair in the mirror just to be sure. "Are you ready, my lady?" he said as he held his arm out. Mari jumped up to catch it, and Howl caught Sophie's hand and pulled her along out of the room with him, all three in giggles. Sophie felt her heart beating a little faster, and shook her head at her own silliness, as if she was a girl with a crush. Well, she thought to herself, I suppose it's the best of both worlds to have a crush on someone that's already yours.

While Mari's excited reactions were cute and gratifying, Howl was most interested in watching Sophie, who had never experienced a moving picture nor quite the level of modern consumerism they would encounter in the lobby. Thus, he resolved to get both ladies moving through there as quickly as possible, and Sophie seemed altogether too happy to leave the noise and weird lights and signs behind.  
"There's more than one stage in here?" Sophie asked, watching Mari zigzag ahead of them, twirling a pink toy wand Howl had given her.

"Yes, there's quite a few… screens," Howl corrected, as they walked into the semi-lit theatre. Mari was already skipping up to a seat.

Sophie and Mari settled themselves, Sophie surreptitiously looking around at the layout and wondering at the small size of the place, and the scarcity of the people, and the blank wall ahead of them. Howl reappeared with popcorn just in time to see her jump as the screen lit up and sound surrounded the small auditorium.

"Don't worry, my dear," Howl said teasingly as he sat down, patting her hand.

Sophie snatched the hand away and folded her arms. "Oh, don't you tease me for being-surprised!-at your silly Welsh magic."

Howl raised his eyebrows but said nothing. He snuck a glance over to where Mari was sitting, hearing nothing of this, eyes wide and focused on the screen that was lit up with flashing colours. The wizard passed the popcorn over to Sophie. "It's different here," he warned, popping some in his mouth.

Sophie considered popcorn to be popcorn, and went for it. To her chagrin, it was, as Howl pointed out, _different. _"It's… unnatural tasting." Their voices lowered to a hush as the credits began and the theatre darkened.

Howl leaned over her to snatch some more. "Nothing is quite so pure as Ingary, I'm afraid. This sort of thing-made in a factory here."

Sophie shook her head, passing some to Mari, who was already eating candy. Howl nodded at this and whispered to Sophie, "Don't let me forget to take that away in ten minutes or else we'll leave the theatre because of a projectile vomiting child."

They left the theatre vomit free, and all three with smiles on their faces. Mari had crawled over to squeeze between Howl and Sophie, the latter of which was clasping the former's hand… Howl was quite relieved when the happy ending rolled around and the credits played, for his arm and hand, quite red and sore from both wife and niece clinging to it, was in a state. Sophie held the other hand as they walked through the square, allowing Mari to skip nearby. She frequently ran back to them to interject a thought about the movie and a cry of happiness, which not unpleasantly interrupted the conversation that the Pendragons were having.

Sophie felt glowingly happy, as if her heart did a little squeeze and had comfortably settled deep inside her chest. The surrounding buildings were lit up with twinkling lights that were marvelous, and as she looked around she thought how Howl's hand was such a comforting anchor. I may very well float away into the night sky, what with all these other floating lights, she thought happily. The puff of the bus sounded as it braked on the pavement near them, and Mari ran back to grab Sophie's free hand.

"I want to be a princess more than anything in the _world._"

"How are you planning on becoming a princess?" Sophie asked, watching Mari skip along. So carefree, so like her and her sisters when they were younger.

"I dunno. Maybe I'll find a magic toad in the garden."

"And he'll cast a spell on you, and you'll realise you've been a lost princess all along," Howl put in, leading them towards a brightly lit restaurant from which wafted the scent they had been following. Sophie admired the flowers spilling out of the boxes on the windows, the lights that softly flickered against them. The lights of the town flickered gently in the same way when later, Mari sound asleep in her bed, Howl and Sophie stood on the edge of the lane looking out past the dark fields and hedge brush. Sophie yawned. "I don't ever want this night to end."  
"Always good to end things on a happy note, at least," Howl said, arms crossed round Sophie's waist, moving to look at her in the eyes and smile. "A perfect first date-"  
"Except for the breadsticks argument-"  
"Yes! But nevertheless, a perfect first date should always end with a kiss."  
Sophie leaned into him as he kissed her, his hand softly resting on her cheek... the familiarity of his rougher, warm lips and feeling him starting to smile slightly much more wonderful because they weren't a first, but a continuance.


End file.
